


Two Birds of the Same Feather

by PincerRinse



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:54:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27357598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PincerRinse/pseuds/PincerRinse
Summary: Kael’thas breath hitched.  He spun around, alarmed he didn’t notice who came in.  Realizing who it was but heart still racing, he eased up and dropped his eyes to the floor.  He said, “While I’ve slept in worse spaces, this place is disgusting.  I would rather sleep under the stars than be suffocated by this stench.”Illidan gently tittered, lips slightly curled upward.  It only stirred Kael’thas once again.  “If it that unacceptable, you may rest in my bed.”Kael’thas cleared his throat and found his heart beating harder than ever.  Words glimmered across his mind but were nonsensically linked together.  He did not know how to respond.  A silence rose over them.Loud.  It was loud.  The silence.“I jest, Kael,” Illidan said finally.
Relationships: Illidan Stormrage/Kael'thas Sunstrider
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	Two Birds of the Same Feather

Kael’thas Sunstrider and Illidan Stormrage walked down a wing of the newly-seized Black Temple, inspecting each room for any signs of life. After celebrating their successful siege with the naga and sin’dorei, Illidan commanded all surrendering fel orcs to relocate into the outskirts of Shadowmoon Valley. Their temple and spoils would be forfeited to Lady Vashj’s and Prince Kael’thas’s forces accordingly.

Illidan raised a goblet filled with plundered wine and downed its entirety, his throat gurgling and gulping. He grinned wickedly. “Even though its quality is wanting, I do not care. I suppose many millennia would do that to one’s taste.”

Simpering, Kael’thas sipped from his own goblet and peered into the room next to him. He saw rope hammocks climbing the walls and dull weapons scattered across the floor. “I must agree. Though, I find it miraculous the fel orcs could ferment what little Outland’s landscape could bear. A bunker, Master.”

“Bah, anyone can achieve anything. Desperation caused by a profligate ruler is a terrific motivator I could imagine.” Illidan peered into a room opposite of Kael’thas and shook his head. “Also a bunker.”

“Shall we turn back?”

“No,” Illidan said and paused, his blindfolded, horned face lowering. Kael’thas’s skin bristled when the wave of heavy magic crashed into him. He could sense his master’s influence sprawling and extending well beyond their position—well beyond what he himself could comprehend. “I am certain there is a Commander’s quarters nearby. It is filled with weaponry and various spoils. I want that room for myself.”

Illidan walked away from the elf, his enormous hooves thumping onto the blackened stone floor. Without question, his right hand followed behind, glancing at passing open rooms and emptying his own goblet. However, after a while, his eyes remained on his master’s enormous backside. 

Though he normally feared getting caught staring at his master, Kael’thas cared little tonight. He examined the various insults on Illidan’s webbed wings, the leathery carmine texture sporadically perforated yet still capable of flight. His tall ponytail of jet-black hair jutting from his head swayed and cleaved his wings in twain down his lavender back. There was something about Illidan that always lingered within Kael’thas’s thoughts—something off yet enticing. 

Was he drawn to Illidan’s stature or merely his magical power? Perhaps he was interested in understanding what it was like to forsake his previous self and become a demon. Would becoming one empower him or merely exacerbate his addiction? The prince stared down at his own peach-colored fingers and raised his head to see Illidan’s black sharp claws. Terrifyingly alluring perhaps. Like a dangerous predator that required constant vigilance or else.

Though, that didn’t seem to fit either. Kael’thas did not feel like a prey, nor did he want his master’s power. Additionally, as a previous member of the Council of Six, he was well-versed in the Burning Legion and its atrocities. But that did not stop his curiosity from rearing its head.

 _Clink_. 

Illidan stopped. 

Kael’thas’s eyes were drawn to the tarnished metal chain that now laid at Illidan’s hooves. He approached and lowered himself to grab it, but Illidan stopped him mid-stoop with an open hand. Illidan plucked the chain of moons and stars from the floor and brushed his thumb across it. 

Unsure what to do, Kael’thas bounced his eyes from the chain to his master. As always, it appeared Illidan was lost in thought and unwilling to share. Just when he was growing attached to the mirthful side of the ancient man.

“Pardon my silence,” Illidan said and clutched the chain into his fist. “I was reminded of the owner of this necklace. I loved her fruitlessly, but she would never reciprocate.”

His head dropped downward and murmured, “It is pointless to keep this… _reminder_.”

A deluge of emotions had welled up within Kael’thas, though he didn’t understand why. About to speak, his mouth promptly shut once he saw a verdant crackling ball coalescing in Illidan’s fist. The chain hand burst into flames and simmered until nothing but brittle black ash remained in Illidan’s hand. He flicked the remnants onto the floor and slowly walked away.

Kael’thas caught up with him and said, “I am saddened to hear that.”

“It is fine and well,” Illidan said calmly. “She is happy with my brother, and I am happy with my freedom. That is all.”

Kael’thas blinked and could not stop the memories flooding his head. “The pain remains, does it not? The pain of rejection. I myself know it well. I’ve had many sleepless nights where all I could think of was what I could have done differently. If only I were more direct or more… _something_.”

A bittersweet smile flickered across Illidan’s visage. “It is painful. But no one is owned a damn thing, no matter how much one endeavors. Forgetting is impossible but living in the past is folly.”

Without warning, he felt another pulse of magic from Illidan who continued to speak, “As much as I am reluctant to believe in such nonsense, something may have intended a different path for the both of us.”

His heart thumped into his ears as he looked expectedly to his master. Did he know? Did he give it away? What was he saying? “I believe…so too.”

Illidan stopped and turned towards his intended destination: a spacious room with weapon racks lining the walls. An enormous, lavish bed towered by brown fur canopies was right in the center. “Magtheridon’s defeat could not have been done without you, Kael’thas. I am grateful for the prowess you and Vashj have lent me. But our convergence would have never occurred if we didn’t suffer. Out of tragedies, the most impressive miracles are born.”

Illidan turned his head to an empty corner and approached it. With his claws, he pried a loose stone from the floor and revealed an appreciable treasure trove filled with gold coins, jewelry, and bullions. “I will claim this room. Its proximity to the entrance and throne room is favorable.”

At the entrance, Kael’thas said, “If you wish to retire, I will scout the rest of the area myself.”

He turned to exit without waiting for an answer but was stopped the next instant by a force beckoning him back in. He looked to the hand dwarfing his red robed shoulder and then to its owner. Though his verdant orbs were casting stray light, he could see Illidan’s glowing green eyes shrouded by his dark blindfold. Illidan said, “Remain nearby. I wouldn’t want my right hand to be too distant.”

“Yes, Master,” Kael’thas said, unable to look away. He stiffened once another pulse of magic shot through him. Hand trickling down, Illidan ventured to another part of the room where a cluster of armor displays were. He shoved them aside and lifted up the loose stone to reveal even more treasure. A smirk spread across his features.

Keeping his eyes on Illidan, Kael’thas slowly turned away and exited into the hallway. He breathed in deeply and tucked a tumbling golden lock behind his razor-sharp ear. Pulling open the heavy-set door to its entrance, he went into the adjacent room. 

There were several dark smooth finished tables traversing the length of the room and matching chairs flanking their sides. A hearth was at the head of one of the tables, its flames caressing an unattended weighty cauldron. The unmistakable scent of felblood and cooked meat masked the air.

Kael’thas scanned the room once more for any stray orcs. He approached the cauldron and lifted up its iron lid. He saw brown morsels floating in the green milky soup mixture. 

He grimaced and extinguished the flames with a drop of magic and a swish of his arm. He couldn’t believe how much the creatures drank, consumed, and bled fel. No wonder Magtheridon easily maintained his position as Lord of Outland; it wasn’t through cunning or wit, rather fel commanded while the pit lord served as a face.

What would it be like to taste it?

He blinked rapidly for a few fleeting moments before he placed the lid back on the cauldron.

After inspecting the room once more, Kael’thas exited and stood at the door of the room across the hall.

Despite being separated by walls, he felt another surge of magic. Illidan was probably detecting other hidden treasures. Although he was used to being around other brilliant magicians who emitted powerful sorcery, Kael’thas could not acclimate to Illidan. Perhaps it was because Illidan’s ripples felt no different than a demon barreling towards him. Maybe he did see his master as a predator.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Focus. Focus.

When he opened his eyes, he pulled the door in front of him open and saw a similar arrangement to the Commander’s room: armor displays, weapon racks, and a bed. This bed was in worse shape, however; dingy furs, shoddy wood finish, and tilting downward to a corner. He walked in, eyes scouring any unseemly feature. Nothing glimmered nor moved. It reeked of sweat mixed with dirt.

While it was didn’t have the familiar warmth of Silvermoon or the splendor of Dalaran, the room appeared to be livable and was near his master. Kael’thas threw the patchy furs onto the floor and scorched them in an inferno as high as his head. After they were reduced to ash, he tested the plushness of the featherbed with a splayed hand and realized it was barely passable. Its depth reached the hard-packed straw tick underneath. He sighed.

“Something ails you?”

Kael’thas breath hitched. He spun around, alarmed he didn’t notice who came in. Realizing who it was but heart still racing, he eased up and dropped his eyes to the floor. He said, “While I’ve slept in worse spaces, this place is disgusting. I would rather sleep under the stars than be suffocated by this stench.”

Illidan gently tittered, lips slightly curled upward. It only stirred Kael’thas once again. “If it that unacceptable, you may rest in my bed.”

Kael’thas cleared his throat and found his heart beating harder than ever. Words glimmered across his mind but were nonsensically linked together. He did not know how to respond. A silence rose over them. 

Loud. It was loud. The silence. 

“I jest, Kael,” Illidan said finally.

Kael’thas swiftly turned back to the bed and said quicker than he wanted, “Never mind. I will tolerate these conditions.”

He felt no different than a plank of wood splintering under stress.

Illidan stepped forward and entered his periphery, gliding across the floor, lightly beating his wings. To Kael’thas’s surprise, the mighty man took a seat on the slanting bedding. It scarcely furnished his immense figure, squealing its agony underneath him. It bent its broken leg further downward.

“Quite lousy but bearable,” Illidan said and bounced on its surface.

 _Crack_. 

Kael’thas widened his eyes. Illidan stopped.

 _SLAM_.

Air and splinters whipped against his robes. The demon hunter now laid flat on his bottom on the stone floor with the now-sundered bed flanking him. Kael’thas’s face twitched, the scene overwhelming his expectations. He covered his mouth and suppressed the tickle in his throat. He knew Illidan could not see but he shifted his gaze regardless.

“I can hear your giggles.” Illidan took to his feet in a single flap of his wings, broken wood parts buffeted by the gust. He did not appear amused.

“No, no,” Kael’thas said, still keeping his mouth covered. “I would _never_ laugh at your expense, Master. Are you injured at all?” It may have sounded condescending but, if the crowned prince were to be smitten by this blunder, so be it.

“No,” Illidan said and smiled toothily. “But it seems you’ll be spared from this fetid room.”

He walked past his right hand and said, “You will sleep in the Commander’s bed. I will use the floor.”

The amusement faded from his face. “I couldn’t. Besides, I haven’t finished scouting the rest of the hall.”

“The rest is nothing but bunkers or armories. I am accustomed to the floor anyhow.”

“Will you regale with stories from your past if I accept?”

“Regale you with what? You know of my betrayal and my imprisonment.”

Smiling, Kael’thas followed Illidan out into the hallway. They walked abreast down the hall. 

“Perhaps of a happier time? Hm…” Kael’thas said and thought a moment. “Would it pain you to tell me about that chain you incinerated?”

Illidan grunted. “Wasn’t intended for me.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

Illidan’s face nicked, sharpening but then relaxing. “This is…uncomfortable to say but I pilfered it. She soon later believed she lost it.”

“So, she never knew?”

“She never knew,” he said and shook his head. He craned his neck to his right hand. “Since we’re sharing, what of you? Did she know about your feelings?”

Kael’thas’s smile melted into emptiness. Memories populated his head. “Yes, but…she was too polite to turn me away.”

“Ah, did she lead you on?”

The question was more pointed than a harpoon. Why did the memories not ache so much this time? “I…I can’t say for sure. But the heartbreak of seeing her in the arms of another man changed me. The very man that razed my kingdom soon thereafter.”

He hadn’t realized what he said until Illidan didn’t respond right away. It was an observation he recited to himself occasionally not intended for anyone else. Terror burrowed itself in his muscles and mind as he tried to think of another topic.

Illidan said with venom, “That damn patricidal prince?”

“It…It matters little,” Kael’thas said in a subdued voice. His shoulders slumped and eyes dropped. “My feelings have faded. As you’ve said before, she is happy with her life and I with mine.”

The warm pat against his shoulder blades surprised him. Illidan said, “My condolences. He will die by my blade soon enough.”

It meant more than he could ever convey.

They entered the Commander’s room and separated from each other. Kael’thas stood over the fur-adorned bed and inhaled deeply, noticing only the light fragrance of wolf and gunpowder. He sat upon it and relished its sumptuousness against his fingers. It indeed was far comfier than the other bed.

Folding his wings tightly against himself, Illidan sat upon the floor directly opposite to Kael’thas and leaned his back against the wall.

Kael’thas laid back onto the bed, fur hugging his body. “What do you plan to do now?”

“I am still contemplating. Perhaps studying the stars.”

“What for? I have several gifted astromancers if needed.”

“I will gladly take you up on that offer. As for now, I cannot say yet but I will reveal all once things solidify.”

“It bothers me that you hide things.” He only half-cared he said the thought.

“I wouldn’t want to excite you if things didn’t work out.”

Fair enough. He shut his eyes and noticed how much his head was swimming. His thoughts were a tangled ball of yarn, mangled and messy. Random echoes and memories. “A surprise then? I suppose I cannot protest regardless.”

“You’ll be first to know.”

A pang of hunger rattled his stomach and stricken his limbs. Thoughts of sipping the fel soup projected themselves onto the back of his eyelids. Opening his eyes, Kael’thas was greeted with the agouti roof of fur above him. A thought flashed across his mind. “May I ask something?”

“Yes?”

Propping himself on his elbows, he looked at his master. “Would…would you allow me to…siphon from you?”

Illidan wryly smiled, only one corner inching up. “There a problem with demons?”

“I see only one in my midst.”

Now both corners were turned upward. “I am slighted more than you know.”

Kael’thas smiled back. “I jest, Master.”

“You most certainly are not.”

He lazily rolled his eyes. “Even if I’m not, you would spurn me.”

“You talk as if we’re lovers.”

Kael’thas darted his eyes off to the side, losing his momentum. He refused to fall victim to this again. “Well, it is true, is it not?”

“That we are lovers?”

Kael’thas could only move his eyes. He looked directly at Illidan whose visage was pinched as if it were a legitimate question begging an answer. Inhaling, the elf said rigidly, “That you would _spurn_ me.”

The demon hunter heaved a heavy sigh. “Enough with this.” He stood up and approached Kael’thas. “If it is needed, I will allow you to siphon from me.”

“Forget it. I’ve changed my mind.” Kael’thas looked away and waved his hands dismissively. “I would rather ache with hunger all night than endure another moment of this.”

Illidan stopped once he stood inches away from him, the heat of his chest grazing the elf’s fingertips. “What? Is my energy not adequate?”

Illidan pushed himself into Kael’thas’s grasp and surged chaotic magic through his lavender skin; it surfaced from his chest and fulminated through its target. Feeling the shock reach as far as his toes, Kael’thas recoiled his arms and shrunk into himself. He knitted his brows, glaring at the smirking Illidan. He turned his back to the demon hunter and settled into the bed. 

“ _Good night_ , Master.”

Illidan said nothing more but stood there silently for a few moments. Kael’thas could hear sounds of his retreating hooves grazing the floor. Grunting, he sunk into his original position on the floor.

Despite everything, Kael’thas kept his eyes open, blinking. The hunger pangs were lessened but still extant. His senses dulled. His thoughts were fractured now; any semblance of continuity shattered and scattered. Anyone could waltz into this room and attack; he was more than open to assassination.

Illidan was here. Illidan wouldn’t allow it.

Finally shutting his eyes, Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider surrendered himself to sleep.


End file.
